ALCS shines spotlight on lesser-known names

The Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles are facing off in the ALCS, and several “no-name” players are getting the chance to shine in the national spotlight.

MLB is unlike the NFL and especially the NBA in that star MLB players can’t guarantee your team a win. Some of this is simply the inherent challenge of baseball multiples across a 162-game regular season, and some of this discrepancy is you’re not always in a situation where a star baseball player can help you.

This year’s ALCS, which features the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals, two teams who haven’t been in the playoff mix for quite some time, let alone a series victory away from the World Series, and while you might not recognize some of these “no-name” players on these oft-ignored teams, both clubs have players well worth your attention this October.

Take Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce, for example. Unless you’re playing attention to the MLB playoffs, an Orioles fan or perhaps a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, you’ve likely never heard of Pearce. He’s 31, and pretty much the definition of a journeyman: he was an eighth-round pick by the Pirates in 2005, made the Majors with Pittsburgh but never did much; before the 2012 season, he was signed, and then released, by the Minnesota Twins.

He was purchased by the Orioles in June 2012, and then they waived him, and he was picked up by the Houston Astros at the end of July. The New York Yankees bought Pearce from the Astros a month later, and then a month after the Yankees bought him, he was claimed by the Orioles off waivers. Pearce had OK numbers with the Orioles in 2013; he only had 138 plate appearances, hit four home runs, and was worth 0.8 fWAR, which at that time was the highest WAR of his career.

Oct 3, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce (28) stretches for the out at first base against Detroit Tigers shortstop Andrew Romine (not pictured) during the third inning of game two of the 2014 ALDS playoff baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Pearce was actually released by the Orioles at the end of April — this season. He was released on April 27, claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays, but Pearce declined the claim and elected to become a free agent. Two days later — April 29 — he re-signed with the Orioles, and Baltimore couldn’t be happier. Pearce has split time for the Orioles between first base and the outfield, and he’s been huge for the birds. His defense is superb, at nine Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at first base this year and eight DRS in his time in the outfield this year.

In addition to his solid glove, Pearce has been terrific with his bat as well. He’s hit 21 home runs, slashed .293/.373/.556, has a weighted on base average (wOBA) of .404, and has been worth 4.9 Wins Above Replacement this season, per Fangraphs. That’s not an MVP candidate, but Pearce definitely has put up all-star-type numbers, including a home run in last night’s ALCS Game One, all from a 31-year old no-name who was released in April.

In a sport where too often it’s assumed a team doesn’t have any sort of a chance at winning, seeing no-names like Steve Pearce help a surprising team like the Orioles in the playoffs is a good thing, for both MLB and fans. You need a good team to win in MLB. You don’t necessarily need big-name stars, although usually that helps.

Baltimore isn’t the only ALCS team getting production from unexpected sources. The Kansas City Royals roster is littered with guys you probably wouldn’t recognize without their names on the backs of jerseys, but here they are, in the ALCS, fighting for a chance to go to the World Series. You’ve likely heard of Alex Gordon, who’s had an MVP-caliber season, but the rest of the Royals outfield is likely a mystery to most baseball fans. Both Gordon and Lorenzo Cain have dazzled all postseason long with stellar outfield defense.

Oct 5, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Wade Davis (17) delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels during game three of the 2014 ALDS baseball playoff game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

As far as Kansas City’s pitching, you likely know the Royals’s ace, James Shields. But the other pitcher Kansas City got in the Shields deal has been almost as valuable for the Royals this year. Shields was worth 3.7 fWAR this season, a terrific total, and he’ll be a free agent this year. But Wade Davis, who was acquired in the same deal as Shields, and moved to the bullpen after Kansas City acquired him, has been a lifesaver for the Royals, and almost as valuable, with 3.1 fWAR this season.

Davis has been a rock in the Royals’s steady bullpen, and unlike Shields, he’ll still be under team control, with some team options for the 2016 and 2017 seasons as well. It’s unclear if the Royals will try to move Davis back to the rotation, but they might not need to do that to keep him productive. In the regular season, he pitched 72 innings, and struck out 109. He allowed eight earned runs and 23 walks all season, and didn’t allow a home run. He’s already been useful to the Royals in the ALCS, as he went two perfect innings in Game One, striking out four and getting the win.

Davis might be even more useful in the pen if Royals manager Ned Yost allowed him to pitch more than one inning at a time, which he’s already done in the ALCS, and we could see more of it, particularly if some of the other Royals starters, such as Jason Vargas or Jeremy Guthrie, falter in a start. Davis has the strength to be effective for more than an inning at a time, and if he is allowed to pitch more, more MLB fans might get to experience his dominance.

So don’t fear the unknown in this ALCS. Both the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals have players well-worth your time, players besides Steve Pearce or Wade Davis that are exciting, and will keep October baseball magical for MLB.

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